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Norway...Land of the midnight sun...
Known as the "Land of the Midnight Sun", this ruggedly
beautiful northern country of glaciers and fjords offers
a true escape from it all. Like the Vikings before you,
come and explore one of Europe’s most unspoiled countries.
Lying on the western edge of
the Scandinavian peninsula, Norway occupies an area of 324,220
square kilometres and is home to 4,326,000 people. The country
has a massive coastline indented with fjords and a mountainous
interior with some of Europe’s biggest glaciers. Midnight-sun
days - when the sun never drops below the horizon - occur from
14 May to 30 July at Nordkapp in the far North. Southern Norway
has daylight from 4am to 11pm in midsummer. The opposite occurs
in winter when the sun does not rise in the North from the end
of November to the end of January. Norway’s first inhabitants
arrived 10,000 years ago at the end of the Ice Age. Nordic
pirates - known as Vikings - arrived in England in 793 AD.
This heralded the start of the Viking Age. Over the next
century, the Vikings raided Europe and established settlements
along the way. The Viking Age came to an end when the Norwegian
king Harald Hardrada was defeated at the Battle of Stamford
Bridge in 1066. In 1380 Norway was brought under Danish rule
and was ceded to Sweden in 1814. The country finally won
independence in 1905 and established a monarchy.
Norway has produced its fair share
of artistic sons including the painter Edvard Munch, composer
Edvard Grieg, and playwright Henrik Ibsen. The country holds
strong to many of its cultural traditions and traditional folk
dancing, singing and storytelling are very popular. Sights to
see when in Norway include its capital, Oslo, the oldest of the
Scandinavian capitals. Founded in 1050, it is Norway’s largest
city and home to the spectacular Akershus Fortress – a medieval
castle and fortress built in 1300. Its banquet halls and staterooms
and chapel are still used for royal functions today. The historic
city of Bergen is ideal for exploring nearby natural attractions
such as Sognefjord, Norway’s longest and deepest fjord, the
breathtaking waterfalls at Geirangerfjord and the enormous
Jostedalsbreen glacier. The northern town of Tromso is known as
the - Gateway to the Artic - and is a lively town with street
music and more pubs than any other place in the country. For
a really spectacular experience, journey north to Hammerfest
to see the Northern Lights. Known as the aurora borealis,
they are a natural phenomenon characterized by the appearance
of streamers of coloured light in the sky caused by the
interaction of charged particles from the sun with atoms
in the upper atmosphere. Truly spectacular, the experience
will stay with you for life.
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